A day in the life of…a Resident Assistant

You see them all over campus. You know who they are but hopefully you haven’t had too many run-ins with them. They’re the Quinnipiac University RAs and they’re running around campus doing more than busting freshmen with beer cans.

Lisa Jordan, an advertising major from Long Island, N.Y., is a first year resident assistant in Commons.

“I know a handful of my residents, the others I can’t wait to get to know,” Jordan said.

Being an RA doesn’t simply require watching over your residents and making sure no one is violating quiet hour s. RAs are responsible for their safety and welfare and are required to plan and execute programs for their residents. An R.A.’s most important responsibility is to be there for his or her residents when they need it most.

Jordan isn’t just a first year RA She is the president of the junior class, an Orientation Leader and plans to be a founding sister in the new sorority on campus, Kappa Alpha Theta.

So what’s a typical day like for a busy young woman like Jordan?

On a typical day, she wakes up around 7:30 or 8:30 a.m. and goes to her first class. Throughout the day, she attends classes, works in the undergraduate admissions office, helps out with intramurals, attends residential life staff meetings and still manages to do her work. “On Monday, I didn’t get back to my room until 11 p.m.,” Jordan said.

“You have to be pretty organized to be an RA,” she added. Jordan’s planner is jam packed, but organized. Each extra curricular activity she participates in has its own designated color. If the activity is highlighted in pink, Jordan is on duty. Orange means she has to work, yellow is for The Montage and green is “everything else.”

Most students don’t realize how much time RAs dedicate to the university and their residents. Before the semester began, and while most soon-to-be students were still enjoying the remainder of the summer break, the RAs were already moved in for training.

On the weekends, it’s not unusual for RAs to be on duty until as late as 4:30 a.m.